Ryan – Page 88 – HillRunner.com

Why do I coach?

October 29, 2015 / HillRunner.com Admin / 4 minutes of reading

This article was originally posted by Ryan at the original HillRunner.com Blogs.

Coach Conway: a big part of the reason I’m coaching now

A few people have asked me recently why I got into coaching and, specifically, why I got into coaching adult runners. I think that’s a very fair question so I’d like to share the story. This will also offer some background in my running.

In 1990, I got talked into going out for track by two friends. I didn’t really want to be there so I signed up for the sprints. I figured, in the sprints, at least it would be over quickly.

Fortunately, Coach Conway was the head coach of the middle school track team. He quickly realized that I didn’t have what it takes to be a sprinter but I might be a decent distance runner. Somehow, he convinced me to give distance running a shot and, as bad as I was at first, I stuck to it.

In high school, I still had Coach Conway guiding my running through my cross country seasons but, during my track seasons, I had Coach Knickerbocker. Both were incredible influences on my life, inside and outside of running.

I went on to college and had the opportunity to run under Coach Hall (now at the University of Chicago) who, like Coaches Conway and Knickerbocker, passed on an incredible amount of knowledge about running.

Along the way, I wanted more than anything to pay back all that my outstanding coaches gave me. However, all three were "pay it forward" kind of people. So I looked for ways to pass along the knowledge. That’s where HillRunner.com originally came from. In the spring of 1999, I decided it was time to establish a website where I could both learn from others and share what I had learned along the way.

As time went on, through HillRunner.com and other online sources, I saw a large segment of the running population that needed some guidance from experience. Many of us are runners who came up through the high school and maybe even college system. We learned things from our coaches that we simply take for granted. From generally what a year’s worth of training should look like to simple day to day things like how to avoid blisters and what to do if you get one or what to do if you twist your ankle.

However, many of us are also what I call "adult onset" runners. These runners didn’t start running until they were on their own. They didn’t have the benefit of having a high school coach to tell them all of these things. I tried sharing all the tips I could when I was asked or saw concerns raised but there was still something these people were missing. Through no fault of their own, they didn’t understand how to structure a training plan and how to adjust it as their training went on. They simply never had the guidance to learn such a thing.

In addition, I found that some runners who were coached at the beginning of their running lives either didn’t have the luxury of the outstanding coaching I was so fortunate to have or were typical high school kids and didn’t learn the lessons that were being taught. Or they simply wanted an outside perspective and guidance in their training, which can be a very large benefit for even the most knowledgeable, experienced runner.

In the interest if paying it forward, I wanted to serve these runners. I started working informally with runners in a limited capacity as early as 2001 or 2002. This worked well but my impact was limited. I could share some knowledge but I couldn’t really get in deep.

In 2010, I dove into the deep end. Not because I thought I’d get rich (I charge a lot more now than I did then but, if you shop around, I think you’ll still find I charge below market rates for someone with my experience). Because I was still looking to pay it forward. This blog itself is evidence that I want to continue to reach as many people as possible in a broad way. However, the coaching is a way to reach a relatively small segment of people in a very deep way through that close interaction that comes with a coach/athlete relationship. This year, of course, I also added a middle layer for people who want a deeper dive than the blogs offer but who feel they don’t need or can’t afford the full coaching option.

So that’s the story. For me, it’s all about giving back to the running community by "paying it forward" to thank the wonderful running community for all I was given by my coaches.

A cure for muscle cramps? Sugar and running

October 22, 2015 / Roundups / 2 minutes of reading

This article was originally posted by Ryan at the original HillRunner.com Blogs.

In this past week, I came across two articles I just have to share.

Cure for muscle cramps on the way?

Muscle cramps are probably one of the most annoying but least well known problems runners can face. We don’t really know what causes them. We thought it might be dehydration but that appears to not be a significant, if any, factor. Same for sodium and potassium. All three of those things might make a difference but, if they do, the difference isn’t significant. We thought it might be fatigue. While that seems to be a still leading candidate, it seems like it’s more than just that.

Well, there is a new idea out there.

I’ve noticed that some exercise physiologists I respect are pretty excited about this. It doesn’t appear to be another gimmick that someone is throwing out there just to make some money. This one may be serious and may be out in the near future. Definitely something to keep an eye on if you suffer from muscle cramps.

Sugar and running

Runners have an interesting relationship with sugar. We know that, in the form of refined grains or processed foods, it’s not good for our health when we’re not running.

What about when we are running, though? The truth is that the sugar itself isn’t bad. It’s bad when it hits the bloodstream at a time when we’re not going to immediately burn it.

So here’s a handy little guide on when sugar is good for us and when it’s not.

Maybe a more simple guide: Stick with whole foods while not running. Go ahead and use sugar while running long to supplement your fuel stores.

Warm up

October 21, 2015 / Training / 1 minute of reading

This article was originally posted by cesar at the original HillRunner.com Blogs.

Hi,

Warm up always has been an interesting topic for me because, I have read several opinions on warming up, and I would like to know how you warm up before races..

I have seen several types of warm up such as, easy running,easy running + some strides at race pace, easy running + LT pace running for 2-3 mins, drills+ strides just before the gun. The only people that I see doing strides before the gun are the top athletes, medium pack and back pack people are just running easy till " go" time.

Personally I warm up just running easy for 1k-1 mile, and in the starting line, I am not very warmed up, but I am afraid to try something new on race day, because on workouts I warm up that way, run easy for 3k or so ( on workouts), stretch, and start the workout.

Also, Doing strides before the gun would make me look like a top gun there, and I am not even close to that.

How do you warm up?

Race report: going for two decades

October 17, 2015 / Race Reports / 8 minutes of reading

This article was originally posted by Ryan at the original HillRunner.com Blogs.

I have a feeling this is going to get long so I’ll break it into sections.

Background

For those of you who aren’t aware, one of my proudest personal accomplishments as a runner is my streak of consecutive years with a sub-17 minute 5K. It may seem monumental for some to run a single sub-17 5K, while for others such a run is barely a workout. For me, it took a lot of work to get under 17 minutes in the first place and it takes a lot of work to stay there.

How much work did it take to get there? Well, I graduated high school with a 17:06 PR. Anyone who knew me in high school could tell you how hard I worked for that 17:06. It wasn’t until indoor track during my freshman year of college, 1996, that I finally broke through the 17 minute barrier. Every year since, through continued hard work and surely some luck I’ve gone under 17 minutes at least once.

This year, I wanted more than anything to continue that streak. To be able to say that I’ve gone under 17 minutes every year for two decades meant a lot to me. I’ve never been a superstar but one thing I’ve always taken pride in is my consistency. Sure, I have bad races but I bounce back and, year after year, I’m always there. When you don’t get hurt, you are always willing to work both hard and smart, and you are willing to lay it all on the line on race day, that’s the result.

Leading up to race day

So it’s with that background that I entered today’s race. I had a shaky spring racing season. In the fall season, I was fighting some lower right leg problems that I believe can be traced back to my perpetually tight hamstring. Through that, though, I fought through my races and had a high before today at the Hootie Hustle 5K, winning with a 17:15 on a course that seems to be both challenging and relatively fast. At Hootie Hustle, though, I felt like I left something on the course. I was in a relatively close race and didn’t want to leave myself hung out to dry in the last half mile so I saved something. That wouldn’t be a problem today.

In the past couple of weeks, I felt like I had done some solid work since my semi-disappointing run at Al’s Run. I felt like I was coming in fit and the taper was working perfectly. In fact, even the lower leg problems were disappearing. In the two days immediately preceding the race, I even found myself saying I felt better than I have for months. I felt ready to roll. After yesterday’s run, I told myself I felt like I could have run a 16:45 5K (remember that).

Race day

This morning, I got up and checked the weather. At 6:30, it was 24 degrees at the nearest weather station to the race course. The race was 10:00. I knew it would warm up but I also didn’t want to take anything for granted so I threw some extra gear in my bag just in case and the family packed up and we headed out to the race.

As we arrived, a parking space right next to the finish line was available. I grabbed it and had myself parked with my front bumper virtually even with the finish line. With the course for many years starting at the finish line, this was perfect.

We went inside and I relaxed until warmup time. I went out for my usual warmup, initially keeping the pace very relaxed before opening up a few times after a very slow opening mile. Much like yesterday’s run, I didn’t feel the greatest when running slowly but I felt invincible when I picked up the pace. Sounds fine to me. As long as I feel good at a fast pace, that’s all that matters.

After some strides, the walkers started going past to get lined up. As I was waiting for the crowd to clear so I could line up in front, one of the runners I see every year at this race came over and asked me about the new course. Huh? New course? Oh, shoot. Maybe I should have hung around to listen to the pre-race instructions. So I went over to one of the organizers and got the scoop. There’s a new rec trail, which I happened to notice while warming up, and for safety reasons they are moving the course to there.

One problem, the rec trail is a crushed limestone trail. Anyone who is familiar with crushed limestone trails, especially newly established ones, should know this means some loose gravel on the trail. Not bad footing but there is definitely some slippage every step and you lose just a bit from your toe-off on every step. Combined with the fact that this was a new course, not the one I’ve run 14 times before and had the utmost comfort and familiarity with, this shook my confidence just a bit. Then I reminded myself. 20 years. I’m not letting that go without a fight. So I lined up with that in mind.

The race

The air horn sounds and I’m off. Straight into the lead as usual and running hard from the gun. I quickly settle into an aggressive but not insane pace. I feel calm and relaxed but I know I’m holding a very solid pace. I follow the trail around some baseball fields, then out of the park and onto an old railroad bed. Up a quick, steep rise to the highway, then across with the assistance of a police officer as traffic control. I did notice that an SUV did not want to stop when the police officer stopped it but, as it was inching forward to make the cross, the officer stepped right in front of it and put his hand on its hood. That stopped it and I crossed without incident. There was a bike going across the far sidewalk and we looked like we were on a crash course but I didn’t break stride or adjust my path. Fortunately, the bike stopped very quickly right before we met and the guy on the bike cheered me on "Go number 34!" I cruise down the other side of the highway and I’m on the way to the mile mark.

There was someone there calling times but I couldn’t quite hear what he said. 5:24? 5:34? I thought it was 5:34. A little slow and I felt like I just ran a fairly fast mile. Not good but I’m not giving up this streak without a fight. I push harder, harder, out to the turnaround. This, fortunately, was not a hard turnaround. We come out to a road, take a left, then take another left on a spur from the trail before merging back in with the trail. Not as good as the old course with no turnaround but not nearly as bad as it could have been.

Now, I’m on my way back and I can see I have a good lead as usual but not quite as big as usual. That’s fine, though. I know what I’m here for. Keep pushing with all I have. I see more of the runners go by, then I come up on the 1 mile mark. The guy gives me my split as I go by there, 10:20. At that point, I tell myself I’m going to go out on a limb and assume that’s not 2 miles. A little later, I see someone calling out "2 mile" and she gives me a split of 11:30. I instantly assume that the 2 mile was somewhere between 10:20 and 11:30 but likely not quite either one of those. Quickly after, I’m up the incline, across the highway and down the other side. I know I either have 5 minutes or less to go at this point or I don’t really care so I’m pushing with all I have. Then I start coming across walkers. Most move over and give me plenty of room but a few must be staring at their feet and don’t see me coming. I’m breathing so hard I can’t even grunt so I’m just working my way through. Fortunately, with no serious problem.

As I turn back into the park with what I figure to be about 1/2 mile to go (it turns out it was just a hair over 1/2 mile so that was a good guess) I pour it on with everything I have. Around the baseball fields, past the start line and onto pavement. Once I hit the pavement, I kick with whatever I have. Not sure if I got faster but the effort level definitely reached 100% there.

I couldn’t see the clock until I was almost at the finish line but, when I did, I saw it clicking through the 16:40s. As I crossed, it was at 16:45.

Result

So that’s what it was. 1st in 16:45. Just what I figured I was ready for. I didn’t let the course change beat me, I overcame the lower leg problems and I extended the streak to 20 years.

Needless to say, I’m thrilled with this race. 20 years means a lot to me. I’m so proud to say I’ve run a sub-17 5K every year for two decades (and counting). This means a lot to me and I look forward to extending it next year.

That said, I’m done. Physically and mentally, I’m ready for the 2015 racing season to be over. Time to take a break, then focus on 2016 with the goal of my 21st consecutive year with a sub-17.

Numbers vs. Perception

October 15, 2015 / Training / 3 minutes of reading

This article was originally posted by Ryan at the original HillRunner.com Blogs.

Modern technology is amazing, isn’t it?

We have devices these days that can measure all kinds of things. You can get a single device that can measure your heart rate, stride rate and a close approximation of your pace at any moment in your run.

While not running, it’s not nearly as hard as it used to be to get a VO2max or lactate threshold test.

You can get an approximation of your body fat percentage in your own bathroom. You can easily track your sleep, your resting heart rate. I’m sure I’m leaving things out.

In short, we have no shortage of numbers that we can use to track everything about not just our training but also about how our bodies are responding to the training.

Is all of this useful, though? Does it make us better runners?

Back in the early 2000s, I got a heart rate monitor for myself. I’m a numbers guy and I believed the additional feedback with hard numbers that couldn’t be refuted would make me train smarter.

What I quickly discovered and, over the intervening months, couldn’t get past was that the numbers told me what I already knew and took longer to tell me those things. If I was beginning to run too hard, I could feel that before my heart rate began climbing. If I was slacking off, I could feel that before my heart rate dropped. If I was training too hard, I knew before I even saw that my morning heart rate was climbing.

The problem was that, with the heart rate monitor, I wasn’t always paying attention. I began relying on the device instead of paying attention to my body. I ended up reacting more slowly to these errors because I wasn’t listening to the early warning signals. So I stopped using the monitor. Today, I don’t even know where it is. I think I gave it away but I’m not even sure. It could be in a box in my basement somewhere.

As it turns out, a recent study suggests my gut feeling on this was right.

Subjective measures reflected acute and chronic training loads with superior sensitivity and consistency than objective measures.

In other words, paying attention to things like perceived effort and changes in our mood worked better than using "objective" measures such as heart rate, oxygen consumption or blood hormone levels.

I’m not suggesting that we should ignore these objective, numerical measures. However, if they get in the way of paying attention to your body’s responses, you might be better off either without them or finding ways to be less reliant on them in order to keep paying attention to how you actually feel.